On-loan Hammill puts Anfield dreams on hold for Fifers
ALAN PATTULLO
WHEN Adam Hammill returns to Liverpool in the summer he will be able to display an unusually impressive knowledge of Dunfermline Athletic FC compared to the average Scouse teenager. Reminded at every opportunity of the East End Park club's heritage by director of football Jim Leishman, Hammill can explain to his family that Dunfermline were creating waves on the European scene in tandem with their beloved Liverpool in the Sixties.
That said, on Thursday afternoon Hammill is still buzzing with the memory of Liverpool's titanic victory the previous evening in the Nou Camp against Barcelona, a win crafted by Craig Bellamy, the player he hopes to emulate in everything but attitude. Their paths have already crossed at training, and last summer, when Hammill made his top-team debut as a substitute during a friendly match at Wrexham, Bellamy was the player who made way. More significant was the identity of the player he joined up front - Robbie Fowler.
"I'd watched him all my life, and had seen him score so many goals from the Kop," gushed Hammill. "And here I was creating opportunities for him. It didn't really sink in until after the match and when my brothers were saying; 'you've played with God!'"
Although contracted for a further two years to Liverpool, Hammill is currently being enjoyed by fans of Dunfermline, and has lit up the tail-end of a difficult season. Having twice appeared in friendlies for the Liverpool first-team, Hammill has yet to feature in a competitive first-team game.
At just 19 years old, this will come, particularly in view of an attitude which is a credit to both his parents and Liverpool. Despite being labelled one of the Anfield club's brightest home-grown prospects, Hammill's nimble feet are firmly on the ground. He has even heeded an appeal from one of his brothers to roll down his socks, Hammill having temporarily adopted the in-vogue footballer's fashion statement of pulling them up above his knee.
"I try not to think about what they are saying about me down there," he said of the reputation he has established for himself at Anfield. "If you have a big-headed attitude then you are likely to fail. Liverpool are a massive club. You have to respect that on and off the pitch, 24-7. You are always in the limelight, whether that means behaving when you go out at night or eating the right things. They want you to be the best you can be, physically and mentally. You have to be top-notch to play for Liverpool."
These words take on extra significance in the aftermath of the disciplinary problems which occurred on Liverpool's recent bonding exercise in the Algarve, and if Bellamy was conscious of the challenge to his place from Hammill before he might be advised to be very afraid now.
Chief among Hammill's present priorities are helping Dunfermline avoid relegation from the SPL and sustaining an exceptional Tennent's Scottish Cup run - and perhaps even emulating Bellamy who won the famous old trophy while on loan at Celtic in 2005. This afternoon Hammill brings his wing wizardry to bear against Partick Thistle in the quarter-final, and hopes to crown his recent good run of form with a first-ever senior goal.
"I have a good feeling," he grinned. He has already made his mark in terms of a contribution to Dunfermline's increasingly desperate fight to avoid demotion to the First Division. He earned a penalty which secured a point against Kilmarnock last weekend while, in the Scottish Cup, he flung in the late cross which saw Scott Wilson knock Hearts out of the competition. It is fair to say he is relishing the opportunity to play in front of big crowds, while also reaping the benefits of being part of a united struggle.
"At Liverpool I was seen as a maverick player," he explained. "I would do something good, then something bad. But since coming up here I have worked on my effort for the team, rather than just myself. I have become a team player. I am not surprised, because I knew I had that in me. But at Liverpool you were perhaps aware of having to do that bit extra just to get noticed."
Falling prey to this desire to try something special when surrounded by world-class colleagues is understandable. Also easy to imagine is the likelihood of landing flat on your face. But Hammill has passed with flying colours these tests of nerve on those occasions he has been asked to train with the first-team. "I thought I gave a good account of myself," he said. "It's obviously great playing with the greatest players in the world, which a few of them are."
Hammill could have asked for no better up-bringing as a footballer, though some might find the age at which he was spotted by Liverpool remarkable. He started training with the Anfield club aged just seven, and points out he is due a testimonial by now. All major clubs are paranoid about missing out on talent, and on Merseyside, where the competition is fierce, the scouts of Liverpool and Everton must be particularly proactive. But like Wayne Rooney, there was only one club for Hammill.
"I grew up on Liverpool," he said. "It was installed in me from watching endless tapes of past matches. My dad would say, watch this, he was a great player. John Barnes was a first hero. But there's also been Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Fowler and now Steven Gerrard.
"It was strange walking out for my first training session with the first-team, and seeing Gerrard and Jamie Carragher there. But I just had to get on with it. They are colleagues now, and they help you out. They have grown up in the Academy too, and it's nice to know they are looking out for you."
But Dunfermline, too, has been an education, and not just because he has heard time and time again about the winning goal Leishman once claimed at Ibrox. "I knew since the start of the season that Dunfermline were interested," he said. "I was playing well for the reserves at Liverpool but needed to go somewhere to get first-team experience. The coaches at Liverpool agreed on Dunfermline being the best option . The situation's not great regarding the league, but with a bit of luck...
"I didn't expect to enjoy it this much," he continued. "I have never really played in front of a lot of fans, so that has been special. The manager [Stephen Kenny] has been great, too. I am looking forward to playing my football here for the rest of the season."
What happens then he can't say, but perhaps the most effective way of catching the eye of Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is by playing a starring role at Hampden Park in May.
Benitez has the armoury to conquer Europe
By Graham Taylor
Last Updated: 12:59am GMT 24/02/2007
Having been at the Nou Camp - or Camp Nou as Barcelona call their stadium - to witness Liverpool's 2-1 win over the European champions, I can now look forward to working for Radio Five Live at the second leg at Anfield. I already have goose pimples at the thought of listening to the rendering of You'll Never Walk Alone. What a great atmosphere awaits us all.
Having backed Liverpool to be victorious over the two legs when the draw was first made, I am taking it as certain that Rafa Benitez will make it absolutely clear to his players that the 2-1 lead guarantees nothing in regards to the final outcome of the tie.
Since the first days of his appointment Benitez has interested me. His knowledge of the European game, and how to play it puts him up with the very best. He seems to be in his element in this environment, and yet appears to be still coming to terms with the requirements of the Premiership, away games in particular.
I fully expected Liverpool to be much closer to the top two places this season and even allowing for the victory in Spain on Wednesday night many Liverpool supporters are simply yearning for their team to regain their No 1 spot in this country.
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Somewhat surprisingly, the alleged misconduct of most of the players breaking a curfew set by their manager whilst on their training break in Portugal can yet play a significant part in welding and galvanising the whole group as they enter the closing stages of the season. Putting to one side Craig Bellamy's golfing abilities - if he was any good then John Arne Riise would have been in no condition to play - it would appear that Benitez has handled this episode exceedingly well which is the hallmark of a very good manager.
Not one to easily show his caring side, it would have been relatively easy for him to have handed out a big public stick, running the risk of the players losing their focus for the game in hand. He chose not to.
But there is no doubt that he is in charge and the manner in which he handled the whole pre-match incident has put him in a strong position in terms of his relationship with his players. He could easily have hung them out to dry, but it would not have been in anyone's best interests. Of course he now has some inside information as to who he can really trust. Let's see what happens at the end of the season.
While I was in Barcelona I heard the FA Cup quarter-final schedule - one evening game on the Saturday, followed by lunchtime, late afternoon and evening games on the following Sunday. Do we need any more examples of how much television money has changed the face of our football? Eat your heart out at 3pm on a Saturday.
I have every sympathy with the supporters of my former club Watford having to travel to Plymouth for a 6pm kick-off on the Sunday. Engineering works are taking place on train lines in the south west that weekend and the last train to London leaves Plymouth at 7.15pm. Did anyone from television check on any of this when selecting this kick-off time?
I am told that Watford are looking at laying on 60 coaches at a cost of £60,000 to transport their supporters to and from the game. Yes, that cost will be offset by the £265,000 the club receives from reaching the quarter-final, but the inconvenience this causes to so many people begs the question as to what level of importance is attached to being a football supporter. Not much it seems to me.
Since leaving the game and working with Radio Five I have travelled with supporters on numerous occasions and have witnessed their commitment to the cause of their clubs and country. I often ask myself why do they do it and where do they get the money from. It must be for the love of the game and yet here is another example of how that love is repaid. But then again we all know that can't buy you love.
Mascherano eager for fresh start at Liverpool
James Ducker
Javier Mascherano could be forgiven for wishing he had never agreed to move to England, but, speaking for the first time yesterday about the most turbulent six months of his life, the Argentina midfield player claimed he had no regrets and insisted that he was merely looking forward to proving a point at Liverpool that many will feel he was denied at West Ham United.
The FA Premier League finally cleared Mascherano on Tuesday to play for Liverpool this season — three weeks after he agreed to join the club from West Ham — but while he is likely to take up a familiar position on the substitutes’ bench when Sheffield United visit Anfield this afternoon, the 22-year-old is confident that his troubles are now firmly behind him.
In five months at Upton Park, Mascherano played six hours and 33 minutes of first-team football, during which time West Ham did not score. He was routinely overlooked, first by Alan Pardew and then Alan Curbishley.
Having found an escape route with Liverpool, however, Mascherano’s transfer was delayed as Fifa, the world governing body, and then the Premier League sought to ratify the deal, the latter amid concerns over the involvement of third parties, who were said to own the player.
“If things don’t work out, you have got to take responsibility and the fact is I was not playing at West Ham, the manager was not picking me, and I had to look to myself to find out what the reasons were, but I want to leave what is in the past behind me now,” he said. “It’s always been my ambition to come and play in Europe. You always learn from the bad times you have in life, but I’m happy to be here now. I’ve just got a big chance in front of me and want to take it with both hands.
“I like the reports about me to be about the way I play, whether I play well or badly, but what I don’t like to hear and read about any more is this transfer that’s taking for ever to go along and has truncated my career so far.”
Mascherano denied he had been poorly treated at West Ham, but it is clear he feels more loved at Liverpool. “It’s important to be wanted,” he said. “I’ve not played for three months, but Liverpool kept me in mind and had faith in what I was capable of doing and I want to repay that faith.”
And finally:
Southern discomfort London’s nightmare scenario
If three London-area clubs are relegated this season, the capital could have a mere four clubs in the top flight next season, its lowest number since the 1981-82 campaign. The derby count would fall from 42 – counting Watford – to 12. It gets worse. Should, say, Derby County, Preston North End and Sunderland win promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship, London clubs’ supporters who travel to away games by car would find an extra 1,381 miles on their clocks. So weighted to the north would the Premiership become that the north-south divide would run across Stanley Park, leaving Liverpool fans open to being dismissed as soft southerners by Everton supporters
Capital in decline
London’s top-flight clubs 1989-90: Arsenal, Charlton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Millwall, QPR, Tottenham, Wimbledon
Premiership clubs 2007-08? Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Tottenham
The long and the short of it
Fulham to Sunderland: 647.8 miles round trip. Total drive time: 11hr 50min. Underground return fare, Hammersmith – Kings Cross: £8. Saver return, London – Sunderland: £95.30. Total journey time: 8hrs 34mins
Fulham to West Ham. 25.8 miles round trip. Total drive time: 1hr 46mins. Underground return fare, Hammersmith – Upton Park: £8. Total journey time: 1hr 40mins
Source: TheAA.com
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